Good read?

greglemondsdad
greglemondsdad Posts: 117
edited June 2007 in Road beginners
I go away in 3 weeks and need some good books to read. Anyone recommend good cycling books? I do like a good autobiography.
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Comments

  • top_bhoy
    top_bhoy Posts: 1,424
    I reckon the Graeme Obree book is top of the tree!

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  • andyBcp
    andyBcp Posts: 1,726
    I found your son's bio quite a good read also ***
    Michael Hutchinson's 'The Hour' ****

    http://www.teamvelosportif.co.uk
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  • palinurus
    palinurus Posts: 836
    Tim Krabbe's "the rider". It isn't an autobiography, but it's the best cycling-related read I've ever come across.
  • gbyers
    gbyers Posts: 164
    Agree Graeme Obree's book is worth reading.

    Lighter relief from Push Yourself a Little Bit More by Johnny Green and
    French Revolutions by Tim Moore.

    No great serious cycling or tour content but both deal with TdeF in an entertainingly different way.

    ________________________________________________________________________________
    Anyone expecting to see a witty and imaginitive signature here obviously hasn't seen my username.
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
    I'll second Palinurus' recommendation of the Tim Krabbe book. A literary classic.

    I've got the Robert Millar biography by Richard Moore in my holiday pile for when I go away next weekend. It's been well received from what I've read.

    The William Fotheringham book on Tom Simpson was very good, as was Matt Rendell's book on Marco Pantani (which is out in paperback now I think). I also enjoyed Rendell's book on cycling in Colombia, called "Kings of the Mountains".
  • sonicred007
    sonicred007 Posts: 1,091
    matt seaton's book is good

    one kilo until the showers is good too

    Thanks

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  • Unknown
    Unknown
    <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by sonicred007</i>

    matt seaton's book is good
    <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">Good point. I thought it was superb.
  • scm
    scm Posts: 5,505
    <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Palinurus</i>

    Tim Krabbe's "the rider". It isn't an autobiography, but it's the best cycling-related read I've ever come across.
    <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
    I second this, but I think you'll get more from it if you've ever raced. The Hour is also a cracking read - that Hutch knows how to write entertainingly.

    --
    It is better to have loved a short person, than never to have loved a tall.
    --
    It is better to have loved a short person, than never to have loved a tall.
  • philip99a
    philip99a Posts: 2,272
    Why does no-one mention the obvious one.

    I found "It's Not About The Bike" by Lance Armstrong entertaining, moving and informative. I guess some people don't like him, but even that comes across in the book's rather abrasive style. I loved it.

    Campag Super Nova; faster than a cannon ball
    Cycling - the most fun you can have sitting down.
  • millar time
    millar time Posts: 392
    I've just finished william fotheringham's book on tom simpson which was very well written, just started the robert millar book so far proving very interesting. For me though Matt Rendell's book on Pantani was an engaging portrait of my first cycling hero.. and just edges out the other two. Oh and tim moore's french revolutions had me chuckling in public on a long train journey, a little embarassing but worth it. Probably not the most helpful post but there we go, all the books mentioned in this thread are good reads so i don't think you'll be dissapointed whichever you go for.
  • fatfreddy
    fatfreddy Posts: 332
    <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by scm</i>
    <i>Originally posted by Palinurus</i>

    Tim Krabbe's "the rider". It isn't an autobiography, but it's the best cycling-related read I've ever come across.
    <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

    I'll third it.

    ff
  • DLB
    DLB Posts: 631
    <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by philip99a</i>

    Why does no-one mention the obvious one.

    I found "It's Not About The Bike" by Lance Armstrong entertaining, moving and informative. I guess some people don't like him, but even that comes across in the book's rather abrasive style. I loved it.

    Campag Super Nova; faster than a cannon ball
    <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

    Agreed!

    I'm just finishing reading it at the moment and i think it's much better than the graeme obree book.

    *** Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're probably right ***
    *** Whether you think you can or think you can\'t, you\'re probably right ***
  • millar time
    millar time Posts: 392
    I forgot - I'll fourth "The Rider", essential for any cyclist.
  • palinurus
    palinurus Posts: 836
    <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by scm</i>

    <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Palinurus</i>

    Tim Krabbe's "the rider". It isn't an autobiography, but it's the best cycling-related read I've ever come across.
    <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
    I second this, but I think you'll get more from it if you've ever raced. The Hour is also a cracking read - that Hutch knows how to write entertainingly.

    --
    It is better to have loved a short person, than never to have loved a tall.
    <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

    You don't need to have raced, but it helps if you know something about it. And I guess you do.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    French Revolutions by Tim Moore, made me laugh out loud my wife thought i'd finally flipped!

    another well written book is the escape artist by Matt Seaton

    Wot, get up early and ride to work.... are you mad?
  • Got-to-get-fit
    Got-to-get-fit Posts: 106
    My vote also goes to French Revolutions - laugh out loud funny and lots of stuff you can relate to especially if like Tim Moore your more Benny hill than king of the hill.

    I have also read Lance's - not about the bike and its a great read


    If you want a Holiday book that isnt about bikes you should try "around ireland with a fridge" by comedian Tony Hawkes - The comedian Arthur smith makes a bet with him that he cannot tour ireland with a fridge as a travelling companion - what follows is just quite simply hillarious and a personal ode to english eccentricity and irish good nature....brilliant

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  • simmers
    simmers Posts: 92
    Another vote for Matt Seaton's autobiographical book. Most road cyclists will recognise their own obsessiveness in his moving account.

    Grame Obree's book is probably the best sporting autobiography you will read - incredibly honest and direct, none of the puff and self-promotion you find in the typical ghost-written best sellers.

    Matt Rendell's books are very insightful and well written: Significant Other and The Death of Marco Pantani are highly recommended.

    The two Armstrong books are worth reading as a matter of course, and Daniel Coyle's book on Armstrong and his rivals was surprisingly even-handed and informative, given that we don't have English-language versions of Ullrich's autobiography, or know much about Vino, Mayo or Hamilton (well, until recent events).

    I read Tim Moore's French Revolutions and thought he came across as a bit of an idiot, although full respect to him for carrying out the challenge.

    I've not read Hutchinson's book on his Hour Record attempt, but it's supposed to be good. Next one on my list...
  • geedub
    geedub Posts: 26
    Don't read the Marco Pantani biography unless you need sedating!

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  • Noodley
    Noodley Posts: 1,725
    Warning - there are two books on Pantani. Matt Rendell's book is very well written. The other one by Pantani's former manager, Manuela Ronchi, is not even remotely worth opening.

    (edit, and it is out in paperback as I saw a copy in WH Smith's today)
  • nmcgann
    nmcgann Posts: 1,780
    Tour de Force by Dan Coyle is good. It's about Lance Armstrong, but is more irreverent and amusing than most.

    Neil
    --
    "Because the cycling is pain. The cycling is soul crushing pain."
  • lloyd_bower
    lloyd_bower Posts: 664
    I'd agree with many of comments above, 'Flying Scotsmen' by Grahame Obree is an excellent read, the highs the lows the lot. Also highly recommend Lance Armstrong first book 'It's Not About the Bike'.

    A very different but interesting read is the Crane brothers' ride to the centre of the earth back in the 80's on two Raleigh Racing bikes with very minimal kit, I read it from the local library but notice it's now on the web
    http://web.archive.org/web/200412110455 ... net/crane/

    Also not cycling related but Joe Simpson's first book 'Touching the Void' is one you'll not put down once started.
  • Batutah Banana
    Batutah Banana Posts: 1
    I agree that LA's 'Not..bike' is excellent, Tim Moore's 'French Revolutions' is laugh-out-loud funny.
    Thanks for the advice re Pantani biography (been wondering which one to buy lately).
    Can I also put in a good word for Paul Howard's 'Riding High - in the shadow of the TDF' which is inspiring and well written.[:)]
  • Simon Notley
    Simon Notley Posts: 1,263
    I've read Lance's book and found it quite good. I've just started on Rendell's Pantani biog and it's shaping up to be interesting, although there is a very confusing section at the beginning about his family and friends, where they lived, what their names were and what people called them (none of them seemed to like their actual names...) which just has too much italian to take in in one go. The Lance one is much easier reading, but maybe not as incisive.

    Simon

    ---

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  • Yorkshire_Chris
    Yorkshire_Chris Posts: 27
    I'm not much of a reader but my Sister has just bought me "Riding through the Storm" by Geoff Thomas. I'm only a few chapters in, but so far so good!
    If you wish to be out front, then act as if you were behind
  • Big Tcp
    Big Tcp Posts: 163
    I'd recommend "Team on the Run" by John Deering - about the rise and fall of the Linda McCartney Racing Team.

    I've also read " A Peiper's Tale" by Alan Peiper, but found it a bit boring. Tim Moore's book is excellent and Hutchinson's "The Hour" is very good. I also found Paul Kimmage's "Rough Ride" very enlightening.
  • babyjebus
    babyjebus Posts: 93
    'The Hour' is terrific, evry entertaining, and Tim Krabbe is an essential read. But I found Rendell's Pantani book about as interesting as a forensic report. Though I concede that some people might prefer such obsessive detail. (Pantani did more nose-up than Motley Crue and David Crosby together- he made Pete Doherty look clean)
  • JWSurrey
    JWSurrey Posts: 1,173
    Another Lance reader here - Superb books.
    His description of the pain of fighting off cancer, and the arduous training (black snow) was inspiring.

    Also picked up:
    Bicycling Magazine's 1,000 All-Time Top Tips for Cyclists
    Edited by Ben Hewitt
    6.99 from Books ETC - ISBN 1-4050-8806-0
  • Diogenes
    Diogenes Posts: 1,628
    French Revolutions by Tim Moore is hilarious. This year I took "A bike ride" by Anne Mustoe. Very well written book about a 54 year old lady who just decided to up and cycle around the world. No cycle technical stuff but very inspirational.

    D[:D]

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  • PostieJohn
    PostieJohn Posts: 1,105
    I'm about 50 pages from the end of 'In search of Robert Millar', certainly a very entertaining read, plenty about life in the peleton.

    Hot dang, it's the soggy bottom boys
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  • Aidocp
    Aidocp Posts: 868
    Ive not started the Obree book yet but I'm halfway through the Millar book and really enjoying that.
    Amazon is reccomending I pre order the new Pantani book "The Death of Marco Pantani", it might be a good read too.

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